Finn Creek Museum

Finn Creek Open Air Museum is a Finnish-American outdoor museum. It is located approximately 6 miles SE of New York Mills, Minnesota. [ [http://www.explorenewyorkmills.com/html/finn_creek.html Finn Creek Open Air Museum - Explore the arts and the Finnish cultural heritage of New York Mills in West Central Minnesota - ExploreNewYorkMills.com ] ] The museum documents the early Finnish immigrants' lifestyles and experiences in the New York Mills area. The museum hosts an annual festival in late August that highlights music, food, and entertainment that reflects the Finnish-American experience.

History

A Finnish family lived and farmed the land in the late 1800s. The land was purchased from an individual land owner in 1975. The buildings on the site were restored reminiscent of the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

Mission and Purpose

Currently volunteers work to maintain the buildings, and create an environment for preserving the Finnish-American history. The museum is also keenly interested in staying current with Finland today and looking into the future.

Annual Festival

Demonstrations at the festival include: Sawmilling, threshing, rug weaving.Entertainment at the festival has included: The Upper Mississippians Swing Orchestra, Kip Peltoniemi [ [http://www.mnfolkarts.org/kip/kip.html Folk Artists Directory ] ] Finnish foods at the festival include: karjalan piiraka [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_pasties] , lusikkaleivat [ [http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_37298,00.html Recipes : Spoon Cookies: Lusikkaleivat (Finland) : Food Network ] ] .

Finn Creek Store

The Finn Creek Store also specializes in Marimekko textiles, Iittala glass, sauna supplies, and other Finnish products.

References